“I love playing Sami,” Alison tells me. “It still excites me. She’s different every day. Every day I get a script, and it’s a brand-new challenge.”

These days, Sami has children of her own to think about – a fact that is not lost on Alison. “I enjoy how she has developed. It’s fun and interesting to go through these changes – parenthood and adult relationships – that’s part of what makes it so fun and challenging.”

Another challenge, for Sami at least, is trying to hold on to a man. She has been bouncing between Lucas and EJ for a while, and now it appears that both have moved on.

“She’s had two men fighting over her for so long, and now there are none. She is definitely wondering what happened with that.

“With Lucas, she found a real, adult, mature relationship. Then EJ came along, and he manipulated Sami like she did with Austin.”

While it might seem that Sami is making the same mistakes she always has, Alison can see that with each mistake, Sami is learning and growing. Maybe someday, Sami can channel that into something more productive.

“As an actress, it’s fun for me to be along for the ride,” Alison says.

“But I would love to see Sami get involved with a career of some kind. I’ve

Alison has no problem finding productive ways to use her extra time and energy. She is involved in many charitable organizations, her most recent being Thermos’ newest campaign, Hydration for All.

“They asked me to help spread the word when they were launching their Web site, hydrationforall.com. They’ve asked me to talk about how important proper hydration is for families. It seems obvious that people should know that, but many people really don’t.

“We are especially encouraging kids, too. Thermos has some cool containers kids can use, which is helping the environment as well, since disposable bottles are filling our landfills. We are educating kids and making conservation fun.”

Aside from her family, Alison has seen firsthand that people need education about proper hydration.

As the host of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” she sees that “people don’t have the information. Many don’t know the basic rules of nutrition. It all starts with drinking more water and less soda and sugary drinks. People don’t drink enough water.”

“In ‘The Biggest Loser,’ we try to help people get healthy and get active. With this program, we need parents to get their kids outside and play and be active.”

At hydrationforall.com you will find helpful tips, products and programs for helping to make you and your family healthier and more active.